Rail-bender.



W. T. WALKER.

` RAIL BENDEB.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 14, 1914.

LQ, Patented Feb.2,1915.

0i a?" .lf-1% L A Mam/l WITNESSES 'UNFED STATS PATENT '@FUQE.

WILLIAM TOMS WALKER, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIApAS-SIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 J'. A. WHEELER, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

RAIL-RENDEZ.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Application led July 14, 1914. Serial No. 850,976.

To all Z071 om it may concern.'

Be it known that I, VILLIAM T. VaLKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke andtate of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Rail-Bender, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvementsin devices for bending rails.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of devices for bending rails and to provide a simple, practical, and etlicient rail bending device of great strength and durability, adapted to be conveniently carried and capable of readily bending a rail and of being readily operated to impart to the rail a continuous curve of the desired radius.

W ith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims appended hereto, it being understood that various chaiiges in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

ln the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of a rail bender constructed in accordance with this invention, and shown applied to a rail. F ig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of F ig. 1. Fig. 4 is transverse sectional view on the line #1 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. fl, the rail being omitted.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

ln the acompanying drawings, in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the rail bender comprises in its construction a plate or body 1 provided at a point intermediate of its ends with an inward extension 2 adapted to rest upon the head 3 of a rail 4 and having an integral hook shaped enlargement 5 arranged in a vertical plane and projecting from the upper and lower faces and the edge of the eXtension 2. The depending portion of the enlargement 5 is provided at the inner edge with a recess 6, adapted to receive the inner side of the head 3 of the rail, whereby the hook shaped enlargement is enabled to engage beneath the head of the-rail and slidably interlock the bending device with the latter. The recess 6 of the hook shaped enlargement 5 is designed, in practice, to be sufficiently large to accommodate the heads of rails of various sizes. llhe extension 2, which is preferably tapered, as shown, is located nearer one end of the body than the other, forming a relatively short arm or portion 7 and a relatively long arm or portion 8. rl`he short arm or portion 7 is provided at its inner edge with an enlarged abutment 9, projecting from the upper and lower faces of the plate or body 1 and having an inner vertical abutting face 10 adapted to fit against the head 3 of the rail 4 at the outer side thereof. rfhe abutment is provided at its inner vertical face with a projecting Hangs 11, arranged in 'fiush relation with the lower face of the abutment and projecting beneath the head of the rail, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The flange 11 is arranged to accomlnodate the heads of the larger rails when the plate or body is placed in a horizontal position thereon, and it coperates with the hook shaped enlargement in interlocking the bending device with the rail, whereby the bending device, after being engaged with the head of a rail, is adaptedrto be moved along the same without being disconnected therefrom to produce a continuous curving of the rail, as hereinafter fully explained.

The longer arm or portion 8 of the plate or body extends outwardly from the rail, and its terminal portion 12, which is thickened to form an enlargement, is spaced from the rail and is provided at the inner side with a vertical socket 13, opening inwardly toward the rail and also open at the top and bottom. The socket 13, which isapproximately rectangular, has side and inner walls, and the plate or body is provided at its lower face with depending vertical fianges 14, forming continuations of the side walls of the socket. The socket 13 receives a rectangular base 15 of a jack 16. The base 15, which is preferably squared,

` Copies of this patent may be obtained for is arranged at the outer end of the jack, and the latter is provided at its innerend with a head 1T having a horizontal recess 18, designed to be of a size to yreceive the head of the largest rail and interlocking the ack with the outer portion of the same. The jack is composed of two tubular telescopic members 19 and 20; the tubular section or member 19 is provided at its outer vnd with the base 15, and is formed integral therewith, while the other tubular section or member 20 is formed integral with the head 17. The inner end of the tubular member 19 is equipped with a nut 21, which is engaged by an interiorly arranged longitudinally disposed screw 22, carrying a bevel gear 23 and journaled in a suitable bearing 24 of the head 17. The bevel gear, which meshes with a bevel pinion 25, is located within the head 17, and the latter is provided at the bearing 24 with antifriction balls 26, receiving the bevel gear. fl`he bevel pinion 25, which meshes with the gear 23, is fixed to the inner end of an operating shaft 27, and the latter is journaled in a suitable bearing 28, extending from the outer side of the tubular section or inember 20. The operating shaft 27 also carries a ratchet wheel 29, preferably in the form of a spur gear and engaged by a awl orfdog 30 of an operating lever 31, adapted to be oscillated to produce a continuous rotation of the ratchet wheel. The

awl or dog is reversible to enable the shaft 27 to be rotated in either direction. The base or outer end of the jack is detachably secured within the socket 13 ofthe plate or body by yclamping screws 82, piercing the flanges 14 at opposite sides of the socket and engaging the said head. Any other suitable means may, of course, be employed for securing the head of the jack Within the socket of the plate or body, and in practice, a jack having operating mechanism of any desired construction may, of course, be employed. After the device has been engaged with a rail, the jack is operated to bend the rail by forcing the same away from the arm or'portion 8. By advancing the device along the rail after each bending operation, the rail may be continuously curved the desired radius.

The slidable interlocking of the bending device with the rail, by means of the hook shaped engaging portion and the ianged abutment, greatly facilitates the curving of arail, and enables the same to be rapidlyT effected. The plate or body is provided near its center with an opening 33, adapted to be engaged by the jaws of an ordinary rail carrying tong, (not shown). By this construction, two men may readily carry the bending device from one point or place to another.

What is claimed is 1. A rail Vbending device comprising a body provided at one end with an abutment for engaging the proximate side of a rail and having its other end arranged in spaced relation with the same, the last mentioned end having a socket with three sides opening toward the rail and also open at the top and bottom, an intermediate extension formed integral with the body and of a length to extend across and rest upon the head of arail, said extension being pro-i vided with a terminal hook-shaped portion arranged to engage under the head of the,

rail, a jack interposed between the spaced end of the body and the rail and including a head to engage the head of the rail, and a base located at the other end of the jack and fitted in said socket and adapted to be placed in and removed therefrom at the top of the body.

2. A rail bending device including a plate or body having an integral rail engaging abutment at one end and provided at an intermediate point with an integral engaging portion of a length to extend across the rail and shaped to engage the head thereof at the side opposite that engaged by the abutment, the other end of the plate or body being arranged in spaced relation with the rail and provided with a polygonal socket opening toward the rail, a jack provided at one end with a polygonal base fitting the said socket, the other end of the jack having a rail engaging head, and clamping means mounted on the plate or body at the said socket and detachably and rigidly securing the 'jack thereon.

3. A rail bending device including a plate or body provided at one end and at a point intermediate of its ends with spaced means` for engaging a'rail at opposite sides thereof, the other end of the body being arranged in spaced relation with the rail and having a socket opening toward the rail and also open at the top, a rail engaging jack pro- 1in vided at one end with a base fitted in the socket and adapted to` be placed in and removed therefrom at the top of the plate or body, and clamping means mounted on the plate or body at the socket for detachably 11F securing the jack therein.

1n testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM TOMS WALKER.

'Vitnesses f C. M. SPEssARD, ROY B. SMTH, Jr.

ve cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

